


azula & plant therapy

by earthlyruins



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Gen, also!, and we love her for it, anyway, anyway i hope you enjoy!!!!, azula finding peace, azula gets plant therapy, but yeet, plant therapy, post redemption honestly, sibling bonding time, since we didn't really get that :'), skdjfhskhf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:19:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26446231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earthlyruins/pseuds/earthlyruins
Summary: Azula learns to love herself through plants.  Learning how she's loved and accepted, and that things won't immediately die under her care: instead they will thrive and grow.
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 78





	azula & plant therapy

**Author's Note:**

> azula: bitch
> 
> zuko shoving a plant towards her: :)
> 
> azula now crying: /bitch/

It starts off with the less needy plants.

Small, hardy succulents that could survive under potential harsh conditions. If she had forgotten to water them, left her room a little too dark, or generally ignored them. The initial fear of having anything living in her care shook her to the bone. But Zuko had encouraged her, and her therapist convinced her, so here Azula was, tea in hand as she watched her tiny cacti thrive.

Her dark eyes flicker from one to the next, flinching a bit when the sun flashed a bit too brightly. Something flickered in her heart: pride, was it? Yeah, it was pride. But it wasn’t the type of pride her father had forced upon her to please him. No, this was the pride of keeping something she loved with her and alive without hurting it or killing it.

Before she could register what was happening, a small smile overtook her features.

She didn’t try to remove it, instead turning towards her open window and sipping the warm tea in hand as the sun rose higher into the sky. The smoke filled her nose and she felt like she could finally  _ breathe _ when she closed her eyes.

~*~

“Zuzu!” Azula laughed, throwing her arms around her older brother. “Agni, it’s so good to see you!” She felt herself grinning harder than she had ever for a long time. The excitement reflected on Zuko’s face, and he squeezed her tightly.

“It’s good to see you too,  _ Zuzu _ ,” he snickered. She smacked his arm lightly, making him laugh harder. “Oh, come on! We both know that that nickname went both ways.”

Azula untangled herself from his arms and shrugged. “Maybe  _ so _ ,” she said loudly. “ _ But _ , I claimed it first!”

“What does that even  _ mean _ ?”

She shrugged again, and Zuko laughed so hard, she could see the tears springing at the corners of his eyes. The laughter was infectious and suddenly she was on her knees, head thrown back, and laughing so loudly the room seemed to shake. She was probably waking up every single person in the apartment complex, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. That’s what you get for moving to the Fire Nation - firebenders wake at the crack of dawn and will most likely wake you up along with them.

When they finally quiet, Zuko looks around the room of her apartment, grin still apparent. His eyes fall on the hanging baskets she hung up around her living area, and the dangling plants of potato vines sitting on shelves next to her windows.

“More than succulents,” he said. It’s a statement, and Azula finds herself getting slightly embarrassed.

“They were…” she pauses, “too easy, I guess. They were nice, don’t get me wrong! But, I don’t know, I started looking after them more sharply after a while. I forgot a couple times, but that went away after a while, so… I got some other plants.

“They’re a little more finicky, but I love them all.” She let her fingers glide over the leaves of a potato vine, a ghost of a smile flickering onto her features. Zuko walks up beside her, his dark eyes observing every detail of the room in wonder. She shuffled a bit.

Then, finally, he turned back to her, a genuine, loving smile on his face as he said, “I love them. You’re growing just along with them - thriving too.” His smile grew before those tears began to come back, this time not grown from laughter but from happiness. “I’m  _ so _ happy for you, Azula.”

She feels the tears running down her cheeks before she registers the quiet sobs coming from her. Immediately, Zuko wrapped her up in a tight hug. Azula buried her face into his chest.   
“I’m sorry,” she breathed shakily. “I’m so _sorry_.” 

Zuko shakes his head. “What happened, happened. Don’t blame yourself for our parent’s shittiness.” 

A nod before Azula chuckled wetly and wiped her eyes, breaking away from her brother. “Well,” she said, “wasn’t expecting waterworks until maybe 1 a.m.” Zuko snorted. “But enough about me; we can talk about me all day - it’s  _ you _ I haven’t seen in maybe a month!”

He sighed. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Work has been wild.” He dramatically pinched the bridge of his nose. “All of these old guys… trying to get me to marry a woman instead of Sokka.” He sighed loudly, ignoring Azula’s snort. “I’ll show them… eventually.”

“I’ll be your partner in crime.” She put her hands on her hips and leaned forward with a smirk. “Any _ way _ , speaking of Sokka, tell me about you two? Has he thrown any boomerangs at anyone’s heads lately?”

~*~

Then it’s the more finicky plants. The ones Azula has to water twice a week, the ones she has to give more sunlight than should be necessary, the ones she has to love and care for and never ignore. And Azula loves every single one of them, pride filling her heart as she watches them thrive in her apartment.

And as she watches the sun slowly rise, and the flowers bloom under its rays, Azula finally feels at peace.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy!!!! i loved working on this little drabble hehe - kudos/comments are greatly appreciated <3


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